5 DIY Projects That Invite Buyers To Visit The Inside of Your Home

When your home is for sale, you should keep your home welcome, inviting, and clean. But the outside matters, too! These 5 DIYs will invite buyers inside your home and help you sell your home faster. If your home doesn’t present that same pristine image on the outside, buyers won’t make it in the front door.

Of course, your realtor told you to de-clutter your home and bake cookies to make it feel like home. But did they give you advice on what to do with the outside of your home? The fact is that buyers will often drive by a listing several times to scope out the property and see if they’d like to even make an appointment to see it.

Worse yet, if your home lingers on the market you could be forced to reduce the price or accept low-ball offers just to move on! These 5 DIY’s can really help you to spruce up the outside of your home and make it look inviting to those very important house hunters.

5 DIY Projects When Selling Your Home

1. PAINT THE FRONT DOOR

First up, give your front door a fresh coat of paint in an inviting color that complements your home. If your front door is eye-catching to the buyer, it’s like rolling out a red carpet and inviting them for a tour!

The front door is an important architectural detail! Make the prospective buyer envision greeting his mother at that very door to share Thanksgiving dinner. Treat your front door as a “feature” and find ways to highlight it so it looks elegant and warm.

While neutrals are important to staging the interior of your home, a pop of color on the front door makes a visually appealing statement. Look for classic bright colors like red, green, or navy blue to create visual interest at the front door.

This is a job that will only take about one quart of paint and an hour or two of your time! But the difference that this job makes could be a game-changer for your family.

2. CUT BACK OVERGROWN AREAS AROUND THE HOME

If you have flowerbeds near your entryways, step back and give them a good look. If they appear shaggy, overgrown, or straight-up monstrously huge, address this right away! In addition, pull out weeds to give the area a finished look.

When prospective buyers see overgrown gardens, they make two unfair assumptions about your home. First, they assume that there’s too much upkeep in the yard. Second, they assume that you aren’t taking care of your home. Again, these can be unfair statements, but this is how your buyer thinks.

Roll up your sleeves, grab those hedge trimmers and a wheelbarrow, and clean up those areas right away! There’s zero cost to you, it’s just a matter of doing the work.

3. PRESSURE WASH YOUR HOME

If your home has areas that are shaded, you probably get a build-up of mildew. It’s unsightly and makes your home look dirty and dingy. Again, this sends that same unfair message to buyers that you don’t take care of your home. Correct it right away!

When you’re pressure washing, be careful not to apply direct pressure to fragile windows or decorative details. You want to wash the home, not do damage! I know this from experience, as I have broken an old, fragile window pressure washing.

If you don’t have a pressure washer, borrow one from a friend. This simple DIY takes a half a day for an average-sized home and transforms old-looking siding to new-looking.

4. POT SOME FLOWERS NEAR THE ENTRYWAYS

There’s something about potted flowers at your entryways that entices. It draws the eye and shows off the door, inviting people in. It adds color and visual appeal. However, it also sends a message to buyers.

As opposed to sending the “nobody took care of the house” message in previous examples, this sends the message that your home is well-loved and well-cared-for. Flowers by the door make visitors feel special and help people envision them treating their own visitors with that same courtesy after they purchase your home.

5. STAGE YOUR PATIO OR DECK

Outdoor entertaining space is near the top of almost every homebuyer’s wish list! Show them that your home is the best home for entertaining by staging your patio or deck space to appeal to them on their initial “drive-by”.

Make sure that your patio furnishings are clean, you have a welcome mat out inviting guests to approact the area, your gas grill is sparkling clean, and that the chair cushions are colorful and not faded. If your patio is covered, you may even want to add a weighted tablecloth to add some eye-catching appeal. All these details will matter to the person who is scoping out your home!

Literally, arrange your patio into an outdoor living room! This adds value by giving the impression that it’s an outdoor space that they will use continually for entertaining guests. Sometimes, seeing a great entertaining space is the very reason that buyers will venture indoors!

In conclusion, be objective and not sentimental when evaluating the outside of your home. Remember that your goal is to invite buyers inside...so that they can see what a truly great home you have up for sale!